Apparatus for taking soundings and indicating the depths thereof.



No. 771,639. PATENTED 001'. 4, 1904. VAN SITTART HOWARD & A. E. H.MARESGAUX. APPARATUS FOR TAKING smmmms AND INDIGATING THE DBPTHSTHEREOF. 'APILIOATION FILED MAY 19, 1904.-

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No. 771,639. PATENTBD OCT. 4, 1904. VAN SITTART HOWARD & A. E. H.MARESGAUX. APPARATUS FOR TAKING SOUNDINGS AND INDIOATING THE DEPTHSTHEREOF. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1904.

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No. 771,639. PATENTIED OCT. 4, 1904. VAN SITTART HOWARD & A. E. H.MARESCAUX. APPARATUS FOR TAKING-SOUNDINGS AND INDIGATING THE DEPTHSTHEREOF. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1904.

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No. 771,639. PATENTED OUT. 4, 1904. VAN SITTART HOWARD AZ A. E. H.MARESGAUX. APPARATUS FOR TAKING SOUNDINGS .AND INDIGATING THE DEPTHSTHEREOF.

- APPLIOATION FILED MAY 18, 1504. no MODEL.

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No. 771,639. PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904. VAN SITTART HOWARD & A. B. H.MARESGAUX. APPARATUS FOR TAKING SOUNDINGS AND INDIOAATING THE DBPTHSTHEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1904.

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@M m dmww y flwrmmav UNITED STATES Patented October 4, 190A.

PATENT ()FFICE.

VAN SITTART HOWARD, OF SIDCUP, AND ALFRED EDW'ARD HAY MARESOAUX, OFLONDON, ENGLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,639, dated October4, 1904.

Application flled May 18, 1904.

T 07], whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we,VAN SITTART HOWARD, commander in His MajestysBritish Royal Navy, of 4 High View road, Sidcup, Kent county, and ALFREDEDWARD HAY MARES- GAUX, lieutenant "in His Majestys British Royal Navy,of 87 Edith road, WVest Kensington, London, England, both subjects ofthe King of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certaiu new anduseful Improvements in and Relating to Apparatus for Taking Soundingsand Indicating the Depth Thereof,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for taking soundings and forindicating the depth thereof.

Apparatus made in accordance with our invention comprises two drums orspools suit' ably mounted and each carrying a suitable length of wire.One wire is attached to a float and the other is passed through aroundone or more fair-leaders thereon and attached to a suitable weight. Thespools are geared to or connected with an indicating or counting deviceadapted to show the length of wire paid out, or the indicating devicemay be arranged to show the difference between the and the line attachedthereto is paid out from the spool at a rate corresponding nearly withthe speed of the vessel, (less friction on spoolaxle.) The weightattached to the other line sinks to a point on the bottom verticallybelow the float, or nearly so, and the line attached thereto is paid outat a rate corresponding to the speed of the vessel nearly plus that dueto the sinking weight. As soon as the weight touches the bottom bothlines are paid out at the same rate, (unless there is a current,) andthe difference between the respective lengths Serial No. 208,595. (Nomodel.)

of the two wires paid out when the bottom is reached is the depth of thesounding, (very nearly.) This can either be obtained by reading the twoindicators and taking the difference between them, or it could beindicated directly by a device arranged to indicate the difl'erence.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevationof one form of winding-gear for use with sounding apparatus made inaccordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the windingdrums. Fig. 4 is a planthereof. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the brake-rocking shaft. Fig. 6 is aside elevation of one form of indicating apparatus for use with ourinvention. Fig. 7 is a plan of the same. 8 shows the dial thereof. Fig.9 is a sectional side elevation of one form of float adapted for use intaking soundings in accordance with our invention. Fig. 10 is a planthereof, and Figs. 11 and 12 are detail views of the wire-lead in thetowingsling.

(6 and b are two drums mounted on separate axles 0 and d in bearingssuitably disposed.

e and f are wires wound, respectively, on the drums at and b in oppositedirections and lead over guide-pulleys g and 7t, suitably mounted onseparate axles.

j j are guides to prevent the wires 0 and f from jumping out of thepulleys g and lb.

The axles 0 and d are disposed in line and are connected at their innerends to pinions A: and m, gearing with spur-wheels 12/ and 0, mounted onseparate axles p and q.

r is a worm provided with two radial studs 8 s,upon which revolvebevel-wheels t, adapted to gear with bevel-wheels u and o, mounted onthe shafts p respectively.

w is a worm-wheel mounted on the shaft :0 and adapted to gear with theworm The shaft in is provided with a pointer y, which passes over thedial-face 2.

The drums a and b are each provided with band-brakes 3 3, Fig. 3,adapted to coact with the flanges of the drums a and b and to beoperated by levers 4 and 5 through the medium of separate rocking shafts6 and 7 and lugs 8 8 and 9 9, suitably mounted thereon. The band-brakesare secured to the cross-bolts 1O 10 at one end and connected at theother to the lugs 8 8 9 9 by links 11 11 11 11. The brake-levers areprovided with mating lugs 12 and 13, and the levers are suflicientlyresilient to enable them to be squeezed together, so that the matinglugs engage with one another. In this manner the two brake-levers may beoperated simultaneously or independently.

The axles 0 and (Z are provided with squared ends, to which handles maybe fitted for the purpose of rotating the drums.

To insure the regular winding of the wire, the drums a and Z) areprovided with guides 14: and 15, respectively. The guide 1A is pivotedat 16 and operated by a lever 17, pivoted at 18. The guide 15 is pivotedat 19. The guide and the lever 17 are connected to and simultaneouslyoperated by a common handle 20, by means of which each guide is traveledacross the face of its respective drum, and by this means the wire maybe regularly wound.

21 21 are springs for releasing the brakes and returning thebrake-levers 4 and 5 to their normal or off position.

22 22 are friction-brakes constantly coacting with drums 23 23 toprevent the drums a/ and b from running away.

In Figs. 9 and 10, 24 24 are side frames of the float, secured togetherby battens 25 25, inclined thereto at an angle of about nine degrees. 26is a fair-leader in a sheave 27, secured to one of the battens 25. Oneof the wiressay epasses over the fair-leader 26 and is attached to thelead or sinker. The other, f, is attached to the float by means of atowing-sling 28, pivoted to the side frames 24 24 at 29 29. In the forkof the towing-sling 28 is disposed a wire-lead 30, through which thewire 6 passes.

In operation when it is desired to take a sounding the float is heavedafter the wires have been properly arranged and attached. The floatsettles down and remains practically still on the surface of the water,so that the wire f, which is attached to the float, is paid out at aspeed nearly corresponding with that of the vessel. At the same time thelead sinks vertically below the float, or nearly so, and the wire (2 ispaid out at a speed nearly equal to that of the vessel plus the velocityof the descending lead. As soon as the bottom is reached, which can bedistinctly felt or which can be indicated by some well-known device, thebrake-levers 4 and 5 are seized and gripped together and depressed toapply the brakes. The indicator then shows the difference between thelengths of wire paid out, and consequently the"depth of the sounding.If, however, the ship be in a current, the float, after the lead reachesthe bottom, will not remain vertically over it and the indicator willmove slowly on. WVith a current moving against the course of the vesselthe indicator is more distinctly checked at the instant the lead reachesthe bottom than with the current in any other direction; but it has beenfound on experiment that any inaccuracy resulting therefrom iscomparatively small. As soon as the brakes are applied the float istowed, and owing to the inclination of the cross-battens it skips alongthe surface of the water, offering very little resistance and causingonly a slight strain on the wire. The wires are then wound in until thelead reaches the float and the dial set or corrected to zero, andanother sounding can be taken without taking in the float, and it hasbeen found that soundings can be taken every thirty or forty seconds inseven fathoms of water with a vessel at full speed, and, further, it hasbeen found that very accurate soundings can be obtained in twentyfathoms of water in nine seconds after releasing the brakes.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of a float, a guide disposed on the float, twodrums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float toone of the drums, a wire attaching the sinker to the other drum, and adevice to indicate the difference between the paid-out lengths of wires,said device comprising two bevel-wheels each rotated by one of saiddrums, a pair of bevel-wheels gearing with the aforesaid bevel-wheelsand mounted on studs inan encircling wheel, and means for indicating therevolution of said encircling wheel, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of a float, a guide disposed on the float, saidfloat being provided with transverse battens inclined at an angle to thehorizontal, two drums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attachingthe float to one of the drums, a wire attaching the sinker to the otherdrum, and a device to indicate the difference between the paid-outlengths of the wires.

3. In apparatus for takingsoundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of, a float, a guide disposed on the float, saidfloat being provided with transverse battens inclined at an angle to thehorizontal, two drums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attachingthe float to one of the drums, a wire attaching the sinker to the otherdrum, means for stopping the drums when the bottom has been reached,and; a device to indicate the difference between the paid-out lengths ofthe wire, substantially as described.

4;. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of, a float, a guide disposed on the float, saidfloat being provided with transverse battens inclined at an angle to thehorizontal, and provided with a towing-sling hinged to the float, and aguiding-eye disposed in the bend of the sling, two drums disposed on thevessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float to one of the drums, a wireattaching the sinker to the other drum, means for retarding the speed ofthe drums while the wires are being paid out, means for stopping thedrums when the bottom has been reached, and a device to indicate thedifference between the paid-out lengths of. the wires,substantially asdescribed.

5. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of, a float, a guide disposed on the float, twodrums disposed on the vessel, said drums being mounted on separate axlesdisposed in line with one another, a train of wheels disposed betweenthe two drums and operated thereby, a pointer operated by said train ofwheels to show the difference between the paid-out lengths of the wires,a sinker, a wire attaching the float to one of the drums, a wireattaching the sinker to the other drum, and means for stopping the drumswhen the bottom has been reached, substantially as described.

6. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth,'the combination of, a float, a guide disposed on the float, twodrums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float toone of the drums, a wire attaching the sinker to the other drum, abrake-disk mounted on each of said drumaxles and a friction-brakeconstantly applied to each of said disks, a brake on each drum adaptedto be operated bothindependently and simultaneously, and a device toindicate the difference between the paid-out lengths of the wires,substantially as described.

7. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of, a float, a guide disposed on the float, saidfloat being provided with transverse battens inclined at an angle to thehorizontal and provided with a towing-sling hinged to the float, and aguiding-eye disposed in the bend of the sling, two drums disposed on thevessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float to one of the drums, a wireattaching the sinker to the other drum, a brake-disk mounted on each ofsaid drum-axles and a friction-brake eonstantly applied to each of saiddisks, a brake on each drum adapted to be operated both independentlyand simultaneously, and a device to indicate the difference between thepaidout lengths of the wires, substantially as described.

8. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of a float, a guide disposed on the float, twodrums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float toone of the drums, a wire attaching the sinker to the other drum, astationary dial-face, and means for moving a hand over a stationary faceto indicate the difference between the paid-out lengths of the wires.

9. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of, a float, a guide disposed on the float, saidfloat being provided with transverse battens inclined at an angle to thehorizontal, and provided with a towing-sling hinged to the float. and aguiding-eye disposed in the bend of the sling, two drums disposed on thevessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float to one of the drums, a wireattaching the sinker to the other drum, means for winding up each of thewires on the drums and guiding them over the surface thereof,abrake-disk mounted on each of said drum-axles and afriction-brakeconstantly applied to each of said disks, a brake on each drum adaptedto be operated both independently and simultaneously, and a device toindicate the difference between the paid-out lengths of the wires,substantially as described.

10. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of a float, a guide disposed on the float, twodrums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float toone of the drums, a wire attaching the sinker to the other drum, meansfor winding up each of the wires on the drums and guiding them over thesurface thereof, and a device to indicate the difference between thepaid-out lengths of the wires said device comprising two bevel-wheelseach rotated by one of said drums, a pair of bevelwheels gearing withthe aforesaid bevel-wheels and mounted on studs in an encircling wheel,and means for indicating the revolution of said encircling wheel.

11. In apparatus for taking soundings from a vessel, and indicating thedepth, the combination of a float, a guide disposed on the float, twodrums disposed on the vessel, a sinker, a wire attaching the float toone of the drums, a wire attaching the sinkerto the other drum,

means for retarding the speed of the drums.

while the wires are being paid out, means for stopping the drums whenthe bottom has been reached, and a device to indicate the differencebetween the paid-out lengths of the wires, said device comprising twobevel-wheels, each rotated by one of said drums, a pair of bevelwheelsgearing with the aforesaid bevelwheels and mounted on studs'in anencircling wheel, and means for indicating the revolution of saidencircling wheel.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

VAN SITTART HOWARD. 1 ALFRED EDWARD HAY MARESOAUX.

Witnesses REGINALD EATON ELLIS, GORDON MELVILLE CLARK. I

